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CTD Media Release
The Hon. Dr. Brendan Nelson,
MP
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence
19 Jun 2001
Government funds projects to boost Defence capability
$13.1m funding is going to companies in Australia for defence
related projects, Dr Brendan Nelson, Parliamentary Secretary
to the
Minister for Defence announced today.
The funding has been made available under the fifth round
of the Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) Program.
The CTD Program is funded by Defence for up to $20m each year,
to provide more rapid means of demonstrating the application
of high technology in support of priority Defence capabilities.
Dr Nelson said the program was first funded in July 1998
and presently comprises 13 CTDs.
"A total of 48 proposals, including 43 from industry,
were submitted for this year's CTD round. Of these, four industry
and one Defence proposal have been selected as the most promising,
at a total value of $13.1m," Dr. Nelson said.
The five projects are:
Hawker De Havilland
Joint Direct Attack Munition - Extended Range Demonstrator
(JDAM-ER). The objective of this project is to increase the
range and accuracy of free-fall weapons by adding fold out
wings and a guidance kit. The project has the potential to
lead to the development of smart extended-range weapons with
significant Australian content and export potential. Link:
Hawker De Havilland is part of the Boeing
Group.
DSTO/Metal Storm/Tenix Defence Systems
Advanced Individual Combat Weapon (AICW). The aim of this
project is to demonstrate a field deployable Advanced Individual
Combat Weapon (AICW) system based on the integration of Commercial
off-the-shelf (COTS) products for enhancing surveillance,
communications, target detection and engagement. Links: Metal
Storm, Tenix
Defence and DSTO.
Auspace Limited
Satellite Communications (SATCOM) Modem. The aim of this
project is to develop and demonstrate a programmable SATCOM
network modem that provides the Australian Defence Organisation
(ADO) with highly bandwidth-efficient and survivable communications.
Link: Auspace.
Ebor Computing
The Digital Radio Frequency Surveillance System project will
develop and demonstrate a system capable of performing continuous
surveillance of radio frequency (RF) communication channels.
The system aims to bring together the latest hardware and
software techniques to provide a tool for detecting and processing
RF transmissions. The project combines the expertise available
in several specialised areas to produce a leading-edge system
to support radio frequency surveillance in the ADF. Links:
Ebor Computing,
DRFSS
Filtronic Components Australia
The Solid State Power Amplifier project will develop a broadband
microwave high power amplifier, using solid state devices.
The solid state amplifier could potentially replace the Travelling
Wave Tube (TWT) amplifiers currently used in electronic countermeasures
such as jammers and towed decoys. The equipment will have
in-country support and significant export potential. Link:
Filtronic
Components Australia.
Dr Nelson congratulated the successful companies in securing
CTD funding and encouraged other Australian industries to
participate in the program.
"Anyone can propose a CTD. The program is open to any
worthwhile proposal. It allows Defence and Australian industry
to take and share risks and rewards in exploring useful technology
developments," Dr Nelson said.
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CTD Program
The CTD (Capability and Technology Demonstrator Program)
is a key mechanism for incorporating advanced technology into
Defence capability. The program looks for capability contribution
to high priority areas of Defence and emphasises industry
involvement and self-reliance. The Program was first funded
in July 1998 and presently comprises 13 CTDs.
The program is open to any worthwhile proposal. All proposals
must meet the CTD selection criteria in order to be considered
for funding. The Australian Defence Organisation will look
at each proposal to justify its inclusion in the program.
These include:
Capability enhancement
A CTD must provide a significant advance in a high priority
area of Australian Defence capability.
Self-reliance
Defence strategic guidance will be used to test the potential
CTD outcomes.
Known technology
The technology contained may be new or previously unexplored
for defence applications
Major investment
A CTD must have the potential to lead to a major acquisition.
Cost benefit analysis
A CTD proposal needs to demonstrate that the cost is justified
by the benefits gained.
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